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Portland Trail Blazers – Damian Lillard Not Letting Playoffs Dream Die
Quite a rarity to see someone other than Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge lead the Portland Trail Blazers in scoring, but desperate time call for desperate measures, and Wesley Matthews filled the points void left by the hobbled Nicolas Batum, leading the team to another road win as their chances of somehow making the NBA playoffs remain intact, aided by some other results around the league.
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Portland Trail Blazers – Damian Lillard & LaMarcus Aldridge Keeping the Faith
Even with a rare road win for the Portland Trail Blazers, their chances of making the NBA playoffs are lower than 2%, if statistics are to be believed. Still, it isn’t stopping Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge, with very little help from other players, from playing fantastic basketball and keeping the team in the postseason race.
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Milwaukee Bucks – When Brandon Jennings & Monta Ellis are at Their Best
There’s nothing that’s going to stop the Milwaukee Bucks from reaching the postseason for the first time in four years, and despite all the criticism both Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis take for being a bit too selfish for most people’s taste, it’s probably a good thing that we’ll get to see a little bit more from one of the better backcourt duos in the NBA.
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Portland Trail Blazers – LaMarcus Aldridge Next to Keep Them in NBA Playoffs Race
A three man team can still make the postseason, if they actually get big games from their entire starting five. The Portland Trail Blazers are mostly about LaMarcus Aldridge, Nicolas Batum and Damian Lillard, but sometimes they get a little bit more from J.J. Hickson and Wesley Matthews.
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Portland Trail Blazers – Damian Lillard Gives Fans a Point Guard to Be Proud Of
A lot of emotion in sport fan-bases gets channeled towards hatred, and the Portland Trail Blazers had their fans give them a big boost in the win over the New York Knicks by pouring on the hate against Raymond Felton, while their own rookie point guard, Damian Lillard, showed how much better of a player he is when compared to the position last season.
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Portland Trail Blazers – The Worst Bench in the NBA
The only reason the Portland Trail Blazers are still in contention for the final spot in the playoffs, with also that hope slowly fading away, is three names – LaMarcus Aldridge, Nicolas Batum and Damian Lillard, almost making magic happen without the presence of an actual bench.
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Portland Trail Blazers – Nicolas Batum Fulfilling His Potential
After four seasons without a single triple double but plenty of comparisons to many all-around greats at his position, Nicolas Batum is becoming the kind of player who deserves such comparisons, notching up his second in three games while becoming the best player on the Portland Trail Blazers.
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Milwaukee Bucks – Brandon Jennings Enjoying Basketball Again
It happens every time – Scott Skiles gets fired, and the team he leaves starts flourishing. Since Skiles left the Milwaukee Bucks and Jim Boylan took over, the Bucks have won five of their last seven, the latest coming with a big Brandon Jennings performance in a 110-104 victory against the Portland Trail Blazers.
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Oklahoma City Thunder – Sometimes It’s Not About the Scoring
Even without Serge Ibaka in the lineup, the Oklahoma City Thunder came through with defense. That’s what you get for having Kendrick Perkins, who can guard big men inside and outside, including denying a potential game tying shot by LaMarcus Aldridge. For everything else, there’s Kevin Durant.
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Portland Trail Blazers – Exposing the Problems of the NBA Champions
Once in a while, you hear about how Nicolas Batum is going to be one of the greatest Small Forwards in the NBA. The Portland Trail Blazers enjoyed his blooming potential as they beat the Miami Heat.